Australia's Phoebe Litchfield and India's wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh in action during the Women's T20 World Cup cricket match between Bangladesh and South Africa at Lord's Cricket Ground, in London, Sunday June 28, 2026. (Adam Davy/PA via AP)IND vs AUS Women T20 World Cup 2026 Highlights: Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner scored half centuries as Australia defeated India by 6 wickets in a must-win match which knocked out Harmanpreet and Co from the T20 World Cup on Sunday.
Harmanpreet Kaur slammed three back to back sixes in the last over of the innings to finish with a 27-ball 56 to guide India to 170/4 vs Australia at Lord’s. Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma handed India a steady start after which Harman and Jemimah Rodrigues built on that foundation for another 50-run partnership. The Aussies were uncharacteristically sloppy on the field, dropping as many as 3 catches.
India won the toss and opted to bat first against Australia in a must-win match at the iconic Lord’s on Sunday. Both sides have made one change with Kranti Gaud coming in for Nandni Sharma while Alana King made way for Phoebe Litchfield. If they do not get over the line against familiar foes Australia, Harmanpreet Kaur and Co are staring at a group stage exit in the T20 World Cup.
FOLLOW IND vs AUS Women’s World Cup HIGHLIGHTS FROM LORD’S
This is probably the last over of this match with Australia needing just 5. Sree Charani to bowl and with 2 singles, that's the 100-run partnership between these two batters. Perry tries to finish with a bang but ends up holing out to Shafali who does not even celebrate. Still 3 left. Wareham ends the match with a four!! India are eliminated. Australia win by 6 wickets
Deepti will bowl out with this over. India need wickets. Gives away 2 singles off the first couple of deliveries before the Aussie women have run four!!! What tenacity. They just need 10 now. Make it 5 as Gardner brings up her own fifty with a four!!
AUS 166/3 after 18 overs
Renuka will bowl out with this over and Perry with a single to start. A chance of a run out but Renuka did not throw. It might have been curtains for Perry in the non-striker's end. Gardner rubs salt on the wounds with a huge six which sails over the long off ropes. Perry on strike now and she places another one for 4 more!! India are in dire straits here. Oh wow, it's a no ball now a s the ball slips from Renuka's hand. And she slams a four down the ground to bring up her 50!!
AUS 154/3 after 17 overs
Shafali now for the 16th and Gardner welcomes her with a four to deep midwicket. That is followed up by Perry with another four as Kranti Gaud has a misfield. That was hit hard and just burst through the hands of the fielder. India won't like that though. 12 from this one as well.
AUS 137/3 after 16 overs
Sree Charani back to bowl the 15th over and almost accounts for Gardner whose miss-hit falls just short of the short fine fielder. And the Australian responds with a huge six over the square leg boundary. Perry now reaches out and finds the gap for four more. To make matters worse, it's a no ball. Free hit and a low full toss keeps it down to just one. 16 from this one.
AUS 125/3 after 15 overs
Deepti Sharma in the attack now and she starts well, giving away just 3 from the first couple of deliveries. Unless she gets hit for boundaries, India won't mind this at all. Just 7 from this over ultimately.
AUS 109/3 after 14 overs
Radha Yadav will continues and bowls too short, enabling Gardner to free her hands and slam a four over extra cover. Goes even better next as she pummels one over deep midwicket for a SIX!!! Perry on strike now and she too goes after the bowler for a four through the covers. Exactly what Australia needed.
AUS 102/3 after 13 overs
On to the 12th and Shafali to bowl this one. Just 4 singles from the first four deliveries as the Aussie batters are mining whatever they can find at the moment. The advantage s firmly with India now. Just 6 from this one.
AUS 85/3 after 12 overs
Radha Yadav in the attack' now and after a couple of quiet deliveries, Perry finds a gap that she was looking for and slams a boundary. Still, just 7 from this over while the Aussie need over 10 from here on.
AUS 79/3 after 11 overs
AAAND GONE!!!! Mooney tries a big hit, does not get all of it and holes out to Radha Yadav at long on. With that, Deepti becomes the highest wicket-taker in women's international cricket and what a wicket to get to that milestone.
Beth Mooney c Radha Yadav b Deepti Sharma 22(20)
Sree Charani will continue and Perry goes off strike with a single. Mooney with a single of her own before Perry dances down the track to get four!! Back to back dots now. 6 from this over.
AUS 68/2 after 9 overs
Deepti now introduced to the proceedings as India opt for spin from both ends. Mooney with a single before Perry finds the gap to get four!! Three singles to end the over. Not a bad one.
AUS 62/2 after 8 overs
India's best bowler has been brought in the attack now. Can Sree Charani break this partnership? She yields just 4 from the first 4 deliveries. With the pressure building, Litchfield tries a big hit and holes out to Mandhana in the deep.
Phoebe Litchfield c Smriti Mandhana b Shree Charani 24(25)
Shafali to bowl the last over of the powerplay and she is greeted by a HUGE SIX BY LITCHFIELD!! That's followed by 2 runs off leg byes. She brings out the switch hit next but the ball is cut off before it reaches the boundary. 12 from this one as well.
AUS 49/1 after 6 overs
Renuka will bowl the penultimate over of the powerplay and Mooney with a shot to sweeper cover which is cut off by the fielder to keep it down to 2. The next ball is slammed to deep midwicket for a four!! Finally, she gets something. Renuka errs in line with a full toss and Mooney says thank you very much and slams it over the fielder for 4!!! 12 from this one.
AUS 37/1 after 5 overs
Shafali replaces Kranti now for the 4th over and Mooney is struggling to break the shackles here. She finally gets a single and now it's Litchfield's turn to be frustrated as everything she hits, finds a blue shirt. Excellent over. Just 1 from it.
AUS 25/1 after 4 overs
Renuka will continue and Mooney with a single to start this over away. That's followed by back to back dots as Litchfield struggles to go off strike. Tries to get cheeky in the last ball with a ramp shot which does not get the required elevation or distance. Excellent over by Renuka.
AUS 24/1 after 3 overs
Kranti Gaud in the attack now and Litchfield with a pull to go off strike. Mooney returns the favour with a single of her own. Great, quick running from the two batters as they take 2. Litchfield comes down the track now and swats it to the deep midwicket region for four!! The next one is smacked down the ground for four more!! Litchfield up and running.
AUS 23/1 after 2 overs
Back for the run chase and Georgia Voll will be facing Renuka Singh Thakur. And gets the run chase off with a bang with a cut shot for a four!! The next ball, Renuka shouts for an LBW but is not given. Harman goes upstairs. No bat involved. And the impact is outside off and the wickets are hitting!! THAT'S A BIG WICKET!!!
Georgia Voll lbw b Renuka Singh 4(2)
Jemimah Rodrigues has been retired out and Richa Ghosh has been brought in as India looks for a big finish. Would it have been better if she was brought in earlier? We'll know later. Meanwhile, Richa has been a bystander as Harmanpreet is stealing all the thunder with three back to back sixes!!! That's her half century. Litchfield has tipped over one over the ropes!! Wheels falling off for Australia at the end of this innings. AAND GONE!! Molineux gets her counterpart as Harman slams it staright to Perry's hands and she won't drop those. We still have the last ball left. Deepti on strike. Top-edge and the innings ends with a four!!
IND finish with 170/4 after 20 overs
India have struggled throughout after the powerplay. No big shots. A four here and there with a lot of singles in between. India staring at a below-par score to defend in the second innings.
Shankar Narayan
Sutherland will bowl the penultimate over of this innings and Jemimah with a slog sweep to find another fielder to keep it down to a single. Harman on strike and she finally finds a gap and a boundary!! Another slog sweep but gets just a single. This has been the story for India so far. Oh wow!! Finally something breaks India's way as Wareham has missed a dolly which resulted in a six!! And a single to end as another catch goes down as Jemimah survives.
IND 147/2 after 19 overs
Molineux to bowl the 18th and she yields just 3 runs from the first 3 balls as the India batters are not getting a clean hit at the moment. And whatever they get a clean hit on, there's always a fielder there. Australia are doing very well to keep the boundaries away. 50-run partnership for Harman and Jemi now.
IND 134/2 after 18 overs
Garth in the attack again and Jemimah slogs but the ball falls just between two Australia fielders for the batter to take a single. Harmanpreet with a single of her own as the India batters are trying to change gears but are just finding fielders. A slower ball next and Kaur gets a thick edge and that's gone over everyone to the third man region for four.
IND 127/2 after 17 overs
Wareham in to bowl the 16th and after 2 runs, there's an LBW shout on Jemimah which is given!! She reviews immediately. UltraEdge shows a flat line. And it's pitching outside leg and India heave a sigh of relief. Jemi with a sweep next to go off strike. Over to her captain to see this one off and Harman with a four to deep extra cover!!!
IND 118/2 after 16 overs
Sutherland continues and after a couple and a single by Jemimah, Harmanpreet breaks the shackles with a well-timed cut shot for a four!! 9 from this over ultimately as the next few balls could just yield singles.
IND 111/2 after 15 overs
Captain to captain now as Molineux will be bowling to Harman. The India skipper hits a ball high up in the air which falls just behind the mid-off fielder to get 2 runs. That's followed up with boundary through the extra cover region as 100 comes up for India. Phoebe Litchfield with a diving effort but it just evades her grip.
IND 102/2 after 14 overs
Hamilton back in the attack and yields just 2 runs from the first three deliveries before Harmanpreet cuts and gets a top edge which races to the ropes for a four!!! 2 runs to end the over. 9 from this one.
IND 94/2 after 13 overs
Wareham again and gives away a single from the first couple of balls. In the third delivery, there's a wicket!! That was absolutely avoidable as Jemimah tried a reverse sweep which gets to a fielder. But Mandhana had already taken off from the non striker's end and had almost reached half way when Jemimah saw her coming. But Australia make no mistakes as they run the India vice captain out!! Jemimah almost looks flabbergasted why her partner took off.
Smriti Mandhana run out (Lucy Hamilton/Georgia Wareham) 38(37)
Sutherland continues and there's a huge shout for LBW on Mandhana. The on-field umpire isn't interested as the Aussies take a review. The ball is pitching outside leg which saves the India vice captain. A slower next which deceives Mandhana who goes for the hoick and misses it completely. Finally gets a bat to the next ball as he gets it over mid-off for a four!! 8 from this one.
IND 82/1 after 11 overs
Captain Molineux has now brought herself on and just like that,. she has accounted for Shafali!! She tries to go for a big hit, gets it all wrong and has her stumps rattled!!
Shafali Verma b Sophie Molineux 34(26)
Gardner almost gets the scalp of Shafali as the Indian opener tries a sweep and misses but the ball has somehow missed the stumps. That is followed up with a thump down deep midwicket for a SIX!!! And another four that's driven through the covers!!
IND 66/0 after 9 overs
Annabel Sutherland now to bowl the 8th over and starts with a wide that brings up the 50-run partnership between the India openers. A couple of singles from the next four deliveries as the pacer keeps things tight. 5 from this one.
IND 54/0 after 8 overs
Wareham introduced in the attack and Mandhana with a cut to get a boundary!! Follows that up with a single. Shafali returns the favour with a single of her own. Smriti tries to cut the last ball but ends up getting beaten.
IND 49/0 after 7 overs
Garth will bowl the last over of the powerplay and after a single, Shafali just places the third delivery to the third man boundary!! That's just smart batting. 7 from the over. Australia won't mind that at all as powerplay ends.
IND 43/0 after 6 overs
On to the 5th and Perry will bowl this one. Starts with two dots and a wide before Shafali manages to get a bat to the third ball for a single. Mandhana on strike and she pulls for four!! Goes to the same area but this time, there's a fielder to cut the it off.
IND 36/0 after 5 overs
Ash Gardner and her off spin introduced to the proceedings and Shafali picks the length and pounces on the first ball to smack it over mid-off. After a couple of singles, Shafali crunches one over her favourite mid-off region for a SIX!!!! 3 from this over.
IND 29/0 after 4 overs
Shafali to face Hamilton now as she flicks the first ball to get a single and go off strike. Mandhana is kept quiet with a hint of movement from the Australian pacer. But not for long as Mandhana pulls and that's just evaded the diving fielder at deep square leg.
IND 16/0 after 3 overs
Kim Garth will bowl the second over and almost surprises Madhana with some movement off the pitch as the India batter swats it away. Follows that up with back to back boundaries with both balls flying to deep midwicket. This has been a steady start from the Indian opener as has been the case for majority of the tournament.
IND 11/0 after 2 overs
Here come the two Indian openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma. Lucy Hamilton will open the bowling attack. After two dots, Mandhana is off the mark with a single. Shafali with a placed shot to get a single of her own. Mandhana with an inside edge next as she almost plays it onto her stumps!! But survives.
IND 3/0 after 1 over
Here come the two groups of players and it's time for the national anthems. India's first, followed by Australia's.
India's Sree Charani leads the roost with 12 wickets while Pakistan's Fatima Sana is second with 11. Wes Indies' Hayley Matthews is third with 9 while England's Sophie Ecclestone and West Indies' Aaliyah Alleyne are 4th and 5th respectively with 8 wickets apiece.
A new pace bowling combination again for India. Kranti Gaud and Renuka Singh Thakur.
Against Pak: Charani, Deepti, Shreyanka, Arundhati, Kranti
Against Dutch: Charani, Deepti, Shreyanka, Kranti, Nandni
Against SA: Charani, Deepti, Prema, Arundhati, Nandni
Against BAN: Charani, Deepti, Radha, Nandni, Renuka
Today: Charani, Deepti, Radha, Kranti, Renuka
- Shankar Narayan
Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Shree Charani, Renuka Singh Thakur, Kranti Gaud
Beth Mooney(w), Georgia Voll, Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Nicola Carey, Sophie Molineux(c), Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton
Molineux: Actually we were going to have a bowl. Pheebs is back in, Alana King is missing out. Just conditions and matchups. Harmanpreet: Going to bat first. Very important game for us, we thought let's just bat freely. One change. Kranti back in place of Nandni. These kind of pitches suit her. It's a fresh day, fresh mind. Today is the day to enjoy ourselves.
It's time for the toss now and Harmanpreet Kaur and Sophie Molineux are in the middle. The coin goes up and India win toss, opt to bat first vs Australia at Lord's.
England's Danni Wyatt-Hodge leads the scoring charts with 282 runs while Scotland's Darcey Carter is second with 208. Orla Prendergast of Ireland is 3rd with 181, followed by Netherlands' Babette de Leede and South Africa's Tazmin Brits in 4th and 5th with 175 and 174 respectively. India's Smriti Mandhana, meanwhile, is 7th with 167 runs.
Meanwhile, in the other match of the day, South Africa suffered a scare while chasing Bangladesh's 117/5, losing 6 wickets along the way. But they managed to win with 4 balls to spare. India will now need to beat Australia which will draw them level with SA on 8 points but due to their superior run rate, the Women in Blue will qualify. But if they lose tonight, it's curtains. (READ MORE ABOUT THE QUALIFICATION SCENARIOS)
India will be pretty wary of an Australia side which is firing on all cylinders with Ellyse Perry, Georgia Voll and Beth Mooney all having a good tournament with the willow while captain Sophie Molineux taking 6 wickets, striking in the first over in three of the four matches they have played. Georgia Wareham has given apt support while Kim Garth, Perry and Annabel Sutherland shore up the pace battery.
A big concern for India heading into this match will be their catching with the Women in Blue already dropping 11 chances in the tournament with 7 coming in the last two matches alone. While they got away with this against Bangladesh, they were made to pay by South Africa.
The last time India and Australia faced each other in T20Is was back in February where they played 3 matches at Sydney, Canberra and Adelaide. India came out on top with a 2-1 win with victories in Sydney and Adelaide.
Along with their middle order woes, India's bowling attack has been carried by the spinners with Sree Charani taking 12 wickets in 4 matches. Deepti Sharma, meanwhile, had taken 5 wickets vs Pakistan but has had a quiet tournament since then. Their pace battery though have flattered to deceive with Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud and Nandni Sharma being rotated.
Points table credit: ICC website
According to Accuweather, while the weather around Lord's will remain cloudy at the time of the India vs Australia contest, there is little to no chance of rain which will pave way for an uninterrupted match.
India's opening pair of Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma have handed the Women in Blue steady start at the top of the order. However, the number 3 position has been a cause for concern with Yastika Bhatia and Jemimah Rodrigues alternating there, both unable cement their place there. This constant tweaking has put the pressure on Harmanpreet Kaur who comes in at no 4 or 5, depending on who is playing at No.3. Richa Ghosh has also not fired as a finisher with her position also not clear due to the constant chopping and changing in the lineup. (READ MORE)
Australia: Beth Mooney(w), Georgia Voll, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Nicola Carey, Sophie Molineux(c), Alana King, Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton, Phoebe Litchfield, Megan Schutt, Grace Harris, Tahlia McGrath
India: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Shree Charani, Renuka Singh Thakur, Nandni Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Bharti Fulmali, Prema Rawat
June 13: Australia vs South Africa: AUS won by 65 runs
June 17: Australia vs Bangladesh: AUS won by 9 wickets
June 20: Australia vs Netherlands: AUS won by 98 runs
June 23: Australia vs Pakistan: AUS won by 113 runs
June 14: India vs Pakistan: IND won by 64 runs
June 17: India vs Netherlands: IND won by 95 runs
June 21: India vs South Africa: RSA won by 6 wickets
June 25: India won by 5 wickets
Matches: 30
Australia wins: 19
India wins: 10
Draws: 1
India: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Nandni Sharma, Renuka Thakur
Australia: Beth Mooney, Georgia Voll, Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Ash Gardner, Nicola Carey, Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Sophie Molineux, Alana King, Kim Garth/Megan Schutt
Harmanpreet Kaur and India are standing on shaky grounds as they are set to face a dominant Australia team in a do or die match at Lord's on Sunday. If India lose tonight, they'll have to pack their bags and go home but if they win, they'll qualify to the next round, pipping South Africa for the second spot. But it's easier said than done as Australia are yet to lose in this World Cup, dominating with 4 wins out of 4.
“All set for Australia, one of our best oppositions. We’ll get a lot of confidence if we win that. Last win in Navi Mumbai gave a lot of confidence and broke barriers.”
Harmanpreet Kaur and her Indian side need no reminding of that magical October evening when the roof came off the DY Patil Stadium. Sunday’s must-win T20 World Cup clash at Lord’s gives them another chance to build on that belief. India have beaten Australia in two of their last three T20Is, but doing it again at a World Cup against the tournament’s form team will require their best performance yet.
India arrived in England with largely the same core that lifted the ODI World Cup, hoping the title would allow them to play with greater freedom. Instead, despite winning three of four group games, they have looked far from their best.
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